Our Little Secret

Black Out

"Damn, X!" Michael claps me on the back. "You look like you haven't slept in a while."

"Well good thing this the last day before the break, right?" I ask. Him and Aiden nod. Truth is I really have not been sleeping.

I've stayed at Zak's for the last two nights and it's hard. She wakes up screaming and crying and sweating in the middle of the night and it wakes me up (When she DOES sleep, I mean). It takes forever for her to go back to sleep or she won't sleep at all.

She's doesn't want the others to know so it's another secret I gotta keep. At least she's kinda talking to everyone again.

Here cone her, Kristi, and Rissa now. "Ok, can we get outta here?" Kristi asks. "I don't wanna be here longer than I have to."

"Where we going?" Zak asks, yawning.

"My place!" Mike throws an arm around her shoulder, shaking her. "At least PRETEND to be excited. Smile or sum."

She forces a smile for him and throws her arms up in the air. "Whoo! I love Michael's house!"

"That's more like it," he laughs. The six of us walk outta the school as it empties out for the two week break.

"I'm riding with Kiyah and Xavier," Marissa goes. Zak looks at her surprised, but doesn't say nothing. So them two come with me, and Kristi and Mike go with Aiden.

Michael's older brother, Drew isn't home yet cuz we got outta school early. We all go straight to the kitchen, cuz school makes people hungry and that's no lie.

We eat leftover pasta and meatballs with juice. "Wow, Drew can really cook!" Aiden goes, practical licking his plate clean.

Mike pretends to be offended. "Who said I didn't cook it?"

"Did you?" I ask, standing to put my plate in the sink.

He chuckles. "No."

When we're all done we all go to the living room and just lay around. Well, everyone but Zak. She's stays posted at the window, on the lookout for God knows what. She finally gets tired and comes to sit on the couch with Aiden and Michael.

At some point she gets up. "Imma go bathroom real quick."

"Take your time," Aiden tells her nicely. As soon as she's gone, he passes me his phone.

I realize it's not his but Zak's when I see the wallpaper. It's a picture of the ferris wheel we rode when we went to La Rosé. Then I notice the notification on the screen. It's a text from Cyrus:

Schools out.
When we linking?

"What am I supposed to do with this?" I ask him, pretending like I don't care when really I'm just trying not be mad. Like why is she still texting him? But then again I was the one who said we could talk to other people so...

He shrugs at me. "Whatever you want. I don't know the rules of the Whatchamacallit."

I roll my eyes at him. Mike leans over and whispers to us. "What are y'all talking about?"

"The song Whatchamacallit," Aiden lies. I just scoff. Mike makes a face and backs off.

When Zakiyah returns from the bathroom, I hand her her phone. "Cyrus texted you."

Mike, Rissa, and Kristi all break their necks, looking to her. "Wanna explain, Kiyah?" Michael asks.

She looks at him and goes back to her spot on the couch. "I saw him at the mall last weekend and he asked to be friends."